Cargo down at BAA

BAA has reported a drop of 9.5 per cent in cargo traffic that passes through its airports. The results, which cover June 2008 to May 2009, show that 1,590,592 metric tonnes passed through Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Southampton, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports.

Worst hit was Gatwick, which saw a dramatic 46.4 per cent drop in cargo traffic, followed by Southampton with a 38.3 per cent drop and Glasgow with 28.6 per cent.

Only Aberdeen increased its traffic, up to 4,552 metric tonnes, an increase of 15.7 per cent. Heathrow fared next better but still registered a drop of 5.2 per cent, down to 1,299,902 metric tonnes. However, this still accounts for over 80 per cent of the entire cargo flown into the UK.